Most devoted runners and cyclist are amazed at how much of a difference just 1 or 2 Pilates workouts per week can make in how their body feels and how it keeps them from getting those recurring injuries that often sideline them from their favorite exercise!
One of my favorite quotes from Joseph Pilates says, “Physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body and a sound mind, fully capable of naturally, easily and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure.” Joe makes the point that our exercise time should be devoted to training our body to be balanced out so that we can do all of things we need to do and want to do in life on a daily basis with ease.
Joseph Pilates clearly created his exercise method with the purpose of giving people a way to easily train their body so that they could feel their best in whatever they wanted to do in life. If you are a runner or cyclist than your “physical fitness time” should definitely include time to balance out the muscles in your body so that you can run and bike with ease and without injuries.
If you are one of those people who have found a love for running or cycling (or maybe both) in your life than I’m guessing that regularly getting this cardio based exercise in your life has been fabulous for keeping you fit and healthy over the years (so fit you probably haven’t had to do much else for exercise). I’m also guessing that over the years you’ve had an occasional injury or ailment that quite possibly could be the result of the repetitiveness of your cardio fitness training. It seems kind of silly that someone who is running and biking so much in their life should have to add more exercise time in their life to stay healthy….but as crazy as it seems adding just a little bit of Pilates training time to your life will allow you to do more of what you love and will keep you from getting sidelined with injuries that keep you from your favorite cardio exercise!
How does Pilates help?
Runners and cyclists tend to use the same muscles groups over and over again for long periods of time. In a nutshell this pattern creates imbalance in the body and imbalances often lead to injury. Pilates focuses on creating more balance in the entire body by stretching tight muscles and strengthening weak underused muscles.
The Pilates method is very efficient and accomplishes both the stretching and strengthening on each exercise you perform. What this means for you is you won’t have to sit and stretch and do individual strengthening exercises to get the balance work you need to keep yourself healthy. Each workout is designed to strengthen and balance the entire body efficiently so you have more time to do the things you love!
Since I’m guessing you don’t want to have to stop doing your favorite cardio exercise due to an injury, my best advice (and Joe’s too!) would be to add 1 or 2 Pilates workouts per week that will help you balance out your body, prevent injuries, help you feel better in your body and even improve how your cardio feels! Interested in learning more about how Pilates can help keep you running and biking without injury or pain?
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